Is There a Future at Liverpool for Loanees Assaidi, Suso and Borini?

Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesBorini scored his first Premier League goal at Newcastle last season.

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Liverpool currently have 13 players out on loan at various clubs around England and Europe.

The high-profile, somewhat controversial decision to loan out Pepe Reina has now been accepted by most supporters as being a progressive move, and the Spaniard is unlikely to return to Anfield to resume his Liverpool career.

The futures of others, such as the host of youngsters like Conor Coady (Sheffield United), Jack Robinson (Blackpool) and Andre Wisdom (Derby County), are less certain and dependent upon how they progress given the chance to play regular football.

Then there are the more established players who have been loaned out in order to play regular first-team football, something Liverpool could not offer due to not being in European competition this season.

Namely, the trio of Oussama Assaidi, Suso and Fabio Borini, who combined made 53 appearances for Liverpool last season.

But without Europa League action this season, all three of those players would have found themselves firmly on the periphery at Anfield—their loan moves have allowed them to get plenty of regular action. But do any of them have a future back on Merseyside?

Suso

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The silky Spaniard is clearly talented and is impressing on his loan at La Liga side Almeria. The 20-year-old has five assists and two goals in 15 appearances.

Suso has been playing on the right of the three midfielders behind the forward at Almeria and is getting good experience, which will help his development. "When you see yourself playing against Real Madrid and Barcelona, and other teams, you can see they are really good, really focused on the game, and running and working all of the time," he told the official Liverpool website recently.

Asked about his future, Suso said he hoped to "come back to Liverpool stronger" following the loan spell.

Suso will certainly face competition in the area he occupies if and when he does return to Liverpool—especially if Brendan Rodgers makes the additions he desires this January.

The problem for Suso is that his position is difficult to identify exactly, and the question of whether he has the physical attributes to play in a deeper, or more central, role in the Premier League. Therefore, a wider position in a front three, a la Philippe Coutinho lately, seems more likely.

The problem then becomes the competition from the likes of Coutinho, Raheem Sterling and even Jordon Ibe.

Hopefully Suso does have a future at Liverpool as he is clearly a talented player, but it's not entirely certain at this point.

Fabio Borini

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The Italian forward struggled in his opening season at Anfield, but that was largely due to niggling injuries interrupting his form. Toward the end of the season as he came back from injury, he made some cameo appearances on the left side of the attack and looked good.

Borini's loan made sense, but hindsight can prove wonderful—many Liverpool supporters now would prefer to have him rather than Victor Moses as the Reds' back-up forward.

Whether Borini has a future at Liverpool is again difficult to judge; Rodgers clearly rates him, but will the Italian ever establish himself as a first-choice player? Unlikely.

So if he has a future it will be short-term as a squad player, before eventually moving to fulfil his potential elsewhere.

Oussama Assaidi

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The Moroccan's arrival at Anfield was completely out of the blue, a complete unknown, and despite some fleeting appearances in the Carling Cup, he did not ever seem a part of Rodgers' plans. Some supporters have questioned whether Rodgers even wanted the player.

Was he given a fair crack last season? Possibly not.

Which of the three would YOU like to have a future at LFC?

BoriniSusoAssaidiSubmit Votevote to see results

Which of the three would YOU like to have a future at LFC?

Borini

9.5%

Suso

78.3%

Assaidi

12.2%

Total votes: 6,018

But a loan makes perfect sense for all three parties this season; Liverpool would have been confident he would perform at Stoke and therefore will be more likely to receive a decent transfer fee for him next summer.

It's very difficult to see him having a future at Liverpool, especially with the way Rodgers' squad is developing.

The Reds paid in the region of £2.5 million for Assaidi, and they will surely recover a similar amount or more.